Brake Leverage Devices - http://www.panix.com/~uwe/brakelev/

Overview

Brake leverage devices significantly improve the stopping power of in-line racing skates. This web site describes how to make them at home at insignificant cost. Gatorback Skate offers a commercial version.

Heel brakes are a prerequisite for brake leverage devices. Therefore they are also discussed but to a lesser extent. Other factors affecting the effectiveness of heel brakes, applicable also to recreational in-line skates, are also discussed.


Photo by Donna Brockmann

News

Pictures

Articles

Uwe Brockmann, English

Uwe Brockmann, German

Other authors, English

Other Texts

Links

Discussion Forums

To discuss brake leverage devices please use the Usenet newsgroups rec.sport.skating.inline (English), rec.sport.skating.racing (English), and de.rec.sport.inlineskating (German). You can learn about Usenet at ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-hierarchy/news/announce/newusers/. I recommend that you start with Welcome_to_Usenet!

To instantly access the cited newsgroups through the Google Groups service click on rec.sport.skating.inline, rec.sport.skating.racing, or de.rec.sport.inlineskating.

Credits

Brake leverage devices were invented and first used around 1990 by 1985 Athens-to-Atlanta champion Don Ruiz of Chamblee, Georgia, U.S.A. He initially called them Puerto Rican Emergency Brakes. He considered commercializing them under the name Give me a brake! but decided not to.

Uwe Brockmann, uwe@pobox.com, http://www.panix.com/~uwe/brakelev/